The President of the United States is perhaps the most powerful person in the whole wide world. One cannot deny the fact the person that holds that particular office has access to the ultimate secrets of the world, has power of major economic and military factors of the world and is the most respected person on the planet. Since George Washington there have been 43 persons that have held the office and many have created history. This article lists some of the most famous persons who have held this particular office. Their tales are a mixed bag of achievements and controversies, recognition and tragedy, accomplishments and blunders. These are the men who shaped the course of history, the men who built America.
10. Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. He was born on 27th October 1858 and served his presidential term during 1901-1909. He is remembered to this day due to his plethora of achievements and interests. He held the office at city state and federal levels before becoming the president. He was also the founder of the short-lived Progressive Party in 1912. Apart from politics he had deep interests in writing, hunting and was a natural explorer. He nick name was “Teddy” although he resented being called so. Many do not know this but the “Teddy bear” is named for him. He died in January 6th 1919.
9. Bill Clinton
William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton, born on 19th August 1946 was the 42nd president of the United States. He held the office from 1993 to 1997 and then again was re-elected to serve from 1997 to 2003. Prior to becoming the president he was the Governor of Arkansas and served two non-consecutive terms there between 1979 and 1992. He was a skilled musician in his school days and he attended the Yale University when he grew up. He has been in the lime light much for the controversies regarding sexual harassment cases. However he only admitted to having sexual relationships with Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers. Post presidential term, Clinton has been active in public life and had founded many charitable organizations. He also took an active part in Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign against Barack Obama. He has also been handed many diplomatic positions by the government post his presidential term.
8. George W. Bush
George Walker Bush, the son of former president George H. W. Bush was the 43rd president of the United States of America. He was also, like his predecessor, elected for two consecutive terms in office. He graduated from Yale University in 1968 and from Harvard Business School in 1975. After certain unsuccessful stints at politics, he won the 2000 presidential election which was very close and controversial. He became the fourth president to be elected while receiving fewer popular votes nationwide than his opponent. After eight months of being elected he faced one of the most epic incidents the changed the course of world history: The September 11 attacks. After that he declared the war on terror which includes the war in Afghanistan declared in 2001 and the war in Iraq declared in 2003. Apart from these national security issues, Bush also promoted many economic and educational policies. He is one of the five presidents of the United States that are alive till date.
7. Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the current president of the United States of America and has taken charge after George W. Bush left the office. He was born on August 4, 1961 and is the 44th President of the United States of America. He is a graduate of the elite Columbia University and the Harvard Law School. During his days at the Harvard Law School, he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He is the first black person to become the president of the United States of America. Several policies of Barack Obama have been revolutionary in one sense or the other. Perhaps the most famous one is the health care bill introduced by him which is popularly known as Obama-care. He also ordered the military operation “Neptune Spear” that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden. He was re-elected for the office of the president in 2013.
6. Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon, born on 9th January, 1913 was the 37th president of the United States of America. He held the presidential office from 1969 to 1974. He was the only president in the history of the United States of America to resign from the office. HE attended the Duke University School of Law and graduated in 1937. He initially escalated the US involvement in Vietnam in the Vietnam War but later was instrumental in ending the war. Perhaps the most dreaded and a reprehensible incident in the history of the United States of America was the Watergate Scandal which led to the resignation of Richard Nixon who was facing near certain impeachment by the House of Representatives. More than 40 administrative officials of Nixon were held responsible for the scandal in an FBI investigation. The incident began with the breaking and entering of some people into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Complex in 1972. Later his successor Gerald Ford granted him pardon for his deeds.
5. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States of America. He was the president during the historic Second World War and held office from 1933 to 1945. He was born on January 30th 1882 and died on April 12th 1945. During a vacation, he contracted polio and was paralyzed from the waist down. Later he took many treatment and other measures to treat his disease but none helped. After returning from a historic tour of Saudi Arabia and a meeting with the then Saudi King, he looked very weak and frail. According to his personal physician, he was nearing his end. He was a central figure in the 20th century and led the country during the years of economic depression and total war.
4. John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy, born on May 29th 1917 was the 35th president of the United States of America and held the presidential office till the time of his assassination in 1963. He started is term in the year of 1961. He served as the military service commander of the Motor Torpedo Boats during the World War II in the south pacific. After his brother’s death, backed by his father Joe Kennedy, he entered into the world of politics. He married Jacqueline Kennedy but was infamous for having affairs with many women including Marilyn Monroe. The death of Marilyn Monroe is a enigma till date and it is reported that President Kennedy was the last person she called. He was assassinated during a political campaign in Dallas, Texas.
3. Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father and is the principle author of the American Declaration of Independence. He was born on April 13th, 1743. He served as the third president of the United States of America and was the first United States Secretary of State. Apart from politics he was interested in science, architecture, religion and philosophy. He was a polymath and spoke 5 different languages fluently. He is rated by historians as one of the greatest United States Presidents of all time. He was a skilled write but not a very notable orator. He died on July 4th, 1826.
2. George Washington
George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. He was born on February 22nd, 1732 and was the commander-in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was one of the founding fathers of America. He was chosen as the president as the unanimous choice of the 69 electors in 1788. He is incidentally one of the tallest presidents of the United States of America. He died on December 14, 1799 at the age of 69.
1. Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America and is perhaps the most famous of them all. He was born on February 12th, 1809. He led the country during the country’s greatest military and moral crisis: The American Civil War. He was instrumental in reforms like abolishing slavery, modernizing the economy and strengthening the national government. He was born and brought up in a poor family and was self-educated. He was also a one time member of the United States House of Representatives during 1840s. Lincoln has been regarded both by scholars, academicians and the public as the greatest president of the United States. He held the office of the president till the day of his assassination on April 15, 1865.